Bread...Broken and Shared

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:1B-8 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ 

~~~ John 6:35-40 ~~~ 

I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger...

Did you ever wonder why 

Jesus chose bread to become his body?

He could have any available food, but

 he chose bread and wine.

Bread was shared at meals. 

Bread was broken apart...torn apart.

Bread nourishes our body.

Bread is a complement to every meal.

Jesus nourishes our body.

He is the Bread of Life because without 

him we would perish.

Every culture has some form of bread.

Every occasion we have to consume bread 

can be a reminder of the One who also

 nourishes our spiritual life.

How could God have known that bread

 would be around for thousands of years?

Many people can not imagine a meal without bread.

Bread is the foundation upon which a whole meal can be built.

Imagine the best sandwich you have ever eaten.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, is so much better.

I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

because I came down from heaven not to do my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.

In the Old Testament bread was a symbol of hospitality.

It was often shared with strangers.

If you broke bread with someone it was assumed

 that you had a relationship with him.

So to betray one with whom you

 had broken bread was a serious insult.

Jesus broke bread many times with the apostles before

 speaking the words of his being the bread of life.

Jesus gives us himself as the Bread of Life

we will not be rejected.

No one who comes to the table of the Lord 

will be refused or turned away.

God invites each one of us to come to him.

When we come to him he will feed our soul

 with the Body and Blood of his only

 begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus left us visible signs to remind us of his presence.

Things we can see make a greater impression

 on our memory than written or spoken words.

Our brain likes to be able to picture things 

we want to remember.

Jesus gave us himself in bread...

something every culture can visualize.

Jesus is not a loaf of bread,

but he uses bread to give us himself.

Moses and those in the desert 

were given manna from heaven.

We have been given Jesus himself...

he is the bread of life.

During the consecration of the Mass

Jesus is Present...

he invites us to receive

 his body and blood.

Blessed to receive the Bread of Life

as we journey to our eternal destination of heaven.

~~~Peace~~~

All That We Need

~~~ Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 ~~~ Psalm 78 ~~~

~~~ Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 ~~~ John 6:24-35 ~~~ 

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life

God fed Moses and the people in during their desert journey.

He sent them quail in the evening and flakes of manna every morning.

I can think of a few kids who would love to wake up 

every morning with cereal flakes covering

 their yard or better yet their bedroom.

God did not abandon his chosen people.

He provided for their daily nourishment directly from heaven.

Each day they were given more than they needed.

God is lavish with his abundance.

But Moses told them,

“This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

The manna from heaven foreshadows the bread of life

which Jesus brought to us...his very own flesh and blood.

...the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world.”

Paul reminds us to put away the old self...your former way of life.

It is time for the new...time to be renewed in the spirit.

Jesus said to them,

“I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Who could ask for anything more from God?

The body will perish but the soul,

fed by the Bread of Life

from Jesus Christ

will live forever.

God alone is enough.

Do you treasure the gift you have in the Eucharist?

Ponder that in your heart today.

We are so Blessed.

It is beyond comprehension.

~~~Peace~~~

"Bread, I Am", says Jesus

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:1B-8 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ John 6:35-40 ~~~

Jesus said to the crowds,
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst..."

Today's Gospel is part two of the Bread of Life Discourse.
Jesus spoke about himself...
He gave himself seven metaphorical title.
This is how Jesus describes himself for us.

Jesus asked his apostles one day who they said he was...
Who do you say that I am?
This is a question we must also answer.
In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us who he is
from his perspective.

Today he tells us he is the Bread of Life.

Do you think Jesus ever sat down to eat a meal alone?
I can honestly say I do not like to eat alone.

How would you complete seven 'I am...'
statements about yourself?
Try it you might find that as you get to the fourth
or fifth it becomes more difficult.

In order to make bread the grain must be striped from the plants.
The individual grains must be crush until they
become a fine powder...
until they no longer resemble what they were before.

If we believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life then when
we eat of this bread we too must become changed.

We must be willing to be crushed, finely ground,
 to be made into something more wonderful.

Jesus gives himself completely to us.
He satisfies our hunger.
We will no longer be thirsty.
He quenches every parched lips. He feeds the hungry soul.

This certainly no Dr. Seuss book, but Jesus does say,
"Bread, I Am".

Jesus sustains us with the Bread of Life,
not just for this life,
but for our eternal life in heaven with him.
This is truly life giving bread.
We come to receive in good times and in bad times.
He enters into our body to make us whole again,
 one with him in body and soul.

Blessed to be able to frequently receive
 this Bread of Life.
~~~ Peace ~~~

Divine Mega Food

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:1b-8 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ John 6:35-40 ~~~

 

Today we have one of the great 'I am' statements

spoken by Jesus about himself.

 

I am the bread of life...

 

Jesus feeds the crowds with bread and fish, but here he is speaking

of a food that will nourish the entire person.

This food satisfies all hungers...all longings...

only that which comes from Jesus is able to quench this hunger and thirst.

It is a hunger and thirst for the mystery of the God of Love.

Jesus gives to us everything which was given to him by the Father.

All is freely and generously given to us.

We have been given all that we need to reach heaven.

We just need to believe this to be true.

 

'...everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.'

 

How can we not cry out with joy?

How can we not be speechless with gratitude?

 

 

 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”

 

How many of us would have the courage to continue preaching

any message if those around you were being persecuted for doing the same?

 This is what was happening in the early days of the church.

Those who came to believe in the new church were routinely persecuted

for what they believed.

This, however, did not stop them.

In many ways it may have made them even more confirmed believers.

As quickly as people were being rounded up and hauled away;

more believers were coming into the circle of believers.

 

Once the nest of the preachers had been disbanded

the more areas could be reached.

 

It was impossible for the authorities to keep it under control.

The young Christian church was alive and thriving.

There was nothing that could deter its spread.

Today we are the beneficiaries of their strong conviction.

 

There was great joy in the city as people were being healed, crippled walking,

paralyzed regaining mobility, demons being cast out.

 

 Now we are presented with the joy of passing on their joy

in what God does for his people.

 

Jesus feeds so much more than our physical bodies.

When the soul is fed nothing else can compare to that fullness. 

 

May we continue to be joyful...

we have the Bread of Life to nourish us into eternal life.

Come to the table of the Lord and be fed.

He provides the 'mega' food rich with all

of the nutrients and graces we need.

Sustenance for Body and Soul

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~ Ex 16: 2-4, 12-15 ~~~ Psalm 78 ~~~ Eph 4:17, 20-24 ~~~ John 6:24-35 ~~~

Jesus said to them,
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

Verse thirty-five from this sixth chapter of John says it all...

Jesus is the bread of life.

It is he who is our food. most importantly our food for the soul.

Every time I hear this passage from Exodus of God feeding

Moses and his people in

the desert with manna from heaven I get this vision...

While all of the people are asleep God sends down dew as moisture;

which is much needed in the desert.

But then God covers the ground with 'Frosted Flakes'.

When the people get up in the morning the bright sunshine

glistens on the flakes and the sugar particles sparkle.

I am being funny, but it is such a real picture.

The appearance of this manna is not the point; the point is God

gave the people bread or manna to eat.

He led them through the desert but he never abandoned them.

This food for their body also fed their soul

because it gave them hope.

These 'frosted flakes' kept them believing.

It kept them believing that Moses was being led by God.

It kept them believing that they were right to follow to stick with him.

Today we can look back at this time and see the connection with what

Jesus is saying in the gospel today.

He is the 'bread of life'.

God sent Jesus down from heaven...his gift to us...

so that he could die on the cross and become our spiritual food forever.

Whether we are walking through the desert

or along the seashore we have the gift of

the eternal bread of life.

Each time we come to Mass the bread we bring to the altar is changed

by the power of the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

It becomes the bread of life.

We are spiritually fed, our soul is nourished with so much more

than we bring to the altar.

Our small offering is returned to us a life giving source for our soul.

In the desert God sent the manna from heaven to feed their bodies,

but in turn their souls were also fed because they believed.

When we receive the consecrated bread...the Eucharist we are fed spiritually,

but our bodies are also fed, at least symbolically.

God transforms the bread we bring into his very own

bread of life.

The people in the desert grumbled and became disgruntled as time progressed.

God fed them in spite of their belligerent attitudes.

No matter what is happening in my life I know I can always come to the table

of the Lord and be fed by his body and blood.

He is the 'Bread of Life' for me.

 I cannot imagine my life without this gift.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof,

but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Only say the word and my soul will be fed.

I believe that you are the

"Bread of Life"

and I thank you for giving us this gift of sustenance.